How to stop a hen being broody?

[eggsrcool]

Hello,

5 of my hens have gone broody, a pekin bantam, 3 light sussex l/f, and 1 silkie. I'm avoiding them having chicks simply because I have a chick at the moment, the broodys are not laying, i got rescue hens and there is NOT enough room. Does anyone know how to stop them from being broody. I've tried removing them and closing the door, but the second its open again they all come running in. Please help!

 

[pamperedpoultry]

I've never had good luck getting one to stop, but I've heard others say to put them in a wire bottom cage, the draft will make them stop. Also I've heard some Old Timers say (don't know that I could do it) to grab her by the feet and sling her around 3 times..

 

[Goose and Fig]

I wish I could trade you some hens. Can't get a single one to go broody.

 

[Sharedspirit]

I have a wire cage that I put broody hens in by themselves when I don't want them to stay broody. It works well for most of my hens. I have one girl who is stubborn though! When she goes broody, there is no stopping her.

 

[TreeHugger]

I have silkies that spend most of their life broody

. I put mine in wire bottom cages with food & water for 3-4 days. Sometimes it works & sometimes they have to go back in the cage for another 3-4 days. My mother use to raise laying hens (around 300 of them) years back when she sold eggs. She insists that leaving them in a dark place for a few days with water & nothing else will "reset" their clock. I've never tried this method but she insists it's better then what I do to break them from sitting.

 

[Schroeder]

This is the best thread I could find on the topic but nowhere have I found an expert's discussion of unwanted broodiness. Will it stop eventually? Should I take her off the nest at night? What about during the day to eat? Will she come off the nest on her own to eat? Or is the best thing to just leave her alone except to get the eggs fron under her? I don't have the space for chicks. (Too small of a coop, of course.)

 

[KatLacroix]

Quote:
The change of hormones will make them stop eventually but can start up again at any time. If you take her off of the nest, she will go right back on the first chance she gets as long as she is broody. MOST hens take 10-15 minutes off the nest daily to eat, exercise and poop. You have to watch them, though. Some broody hens are so stubborn they will stay on the eggs until they die, though most aren't.

 

[RAREROO]

I just kept taking my BR hen of the nest at night, and she eventually gave up. I only did it because I didn't want chicks at that time, but I wish I had some LF hens that are constantly broody like that, I'd keep them in their own pen specially for setting eggs.

 

[txredneckmedic]

U could always send one to me

 

[sepiolida]

Can't you just keep taxing the eggs? Will they go broody if they're sitting on nothing?